If you know our history out here, then you know that waaaay back in 2013 when we first bought our property, it was just vacant land. We had BIG plans to have the Amish build us a log cabin, but sadly that fell through when our builder contracted Lyme disease and became bedridden. We reluctantly decided to put a double wide trailer out here as a fast way to get into a house (at the time we had 6 kids and had been living in a camper and things were getting ugly).

We planned our well and septic to be able to attach in to a full size house down the road. 5 years MAX we figured.

Our cabin had been quoted at $130,000 for the shell, windows, doors and roofing. Five years later, a SIMPLE small house was running no less than $350,000. Not wanting a mortgage hanging over our head, we reluctantly decided to wait and save up more money.

Year after year, quote after quote, the pricing was beyond our budget, going all the way up to $600,000 in 2020. It was beginning to look out of the question. Even if we DARED spend that much on a house, the property taxes would likely triple.

But then, something CRAZY happened this year . . . we began playing around with a NEW house plan, and crafting it to our own specs. We got all the way into the drafting stages, hiring out a lady to do the CAD work, and began sending the plans out for bid quotes.

EVERYTHING began coming in UNDER budget!

So it looks like it’s a GO to begin building this year! After 10 years!

We are working through the red tape with our township, but the goal is to have the shell winter ready by fall 2024 so we can finish the inside on our own.

This means, likely by summer next year we might even have our new puppy room ready! But best of all, I might finally be able to begin shooting more Frenchton YouTube videos again as the new house will feature lots of windows and lighting – not to mention NO MORE PUPPY STAINS on the carpet, lol (or having to wash it 2x a year!)

Here is a mock up of a plan similar to ours (ours will be bigger and have more windows plus a basement). It LOOKS grand and expensive but I assure you, it’s costing less than most of the houses around us! Just on the shell alone, we have saved $100,000. We have always been very frugal, and building a nice house will be no different. But it will look NICE!

And . . .

NO MORE TRAILER!